Marvel’s Spider-Man Review

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When it comes to video games, Spiderman’s games have always been a mixed bag, just like some of his movies. Over the years Marvel’s most popular superhero has had a whirlwind of many ups and downs but continues to always introduce something new on the table. With Insomniac Games taking a crack at this series, people and fans were very excited with the promise they had. I am glad to say Insomniac Games delivered on just about every desire and requirement to please the massive Spiderman fanbase when it comes to video games.

Presentation

The rumors about the “graphical downgrade” that have been going around about this game are hardly true. While yes, the game won’t look as good as it did at E3 presentations, its still a beautiful game. The graphics here are pushed very far and details are clear through every swing, and interaction. I would say this is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. With that the gorgeous New York City is a wonder to look at when jumping off the tallest building and seeing so much while gracefully descending to the ground, only to swing back up again.

Like Butter on Bread

One important detail that every Spiderman game needs is silky smooth swinging and Insomniac made sure this was a top priority. Right from the start of the story I was thrown into New York right after Peter Parker wakes up from a police signal and was in complete awe looking at the city. With the specific engine for the PS4 Insomniac used, swinging feels the most realistic it ever has in a video game. From start to finish I would always take unnecessary routes to get to my main objective in the story just to swing around the massive buildings in New York. Playing as Spiderman has never felt more real when high above the citizens while Peter Parker makes very original comments about how his day is going and so much more to keep his mind busy.

Fun While it Last

Combat has is greatly improved from recent games such with an unique fighting style for Spiderman that separates him from the rest of the genre of combat. Insomniac Games always has a wide range of gadgets and tech in their games such as “Rachet and Clank” and its no different here. Spiderman has a good number of gadgets unique to him and his style of fighting that helped me very much in combat sections of the game. When I wasn’t on the ground fighting I was sneaking around inside the warehouses and crime sites of the game doing “stealth missions”. It was nice to take a break from the heavy combat and use stealth as a focus to the level and quietly web up enemies just like a spider. Kicking my way through the main story felt great and kept itself from feeling dull and repetitive most of the time.

Taking straight from the source

In this adaptation of a Spiderman game, Insomniac decided to create their own unique diverse story with everything coming straight from the comics. In this game Spiderman’s main villain(s) are the Sinister Six, a group of villains many fans have wanted to see come to live for a while. The Sinister Six consist of Electro, Vulture, Scorpion, Rhino, Mr. Negative, and Doctor Octopus. They each provide a key role in the story, but Mr. Negative and Doctor Octopus take especially deep connections to Peter throughout the story as it develops. Mr. Negative’s positive side is named Martin Lee, a man who runs a charity for the homeless of New York, who Peter’s Aunt May happen to work for. I won’t go into Doctor Octopus story too much for spoilers, but his role was very emotional and understandable in this story.

Depth on a new Level

With great power comes great interaction. Martin Lee is my favorite character in this game hands down, besides Spiderman of course. He has an actual connection to Peter Parker that doesn’t feel forced for plot. He is Aunt Mays boss at the shelter she works at. So later in the game you see how Peter changes his attitude towards him and other characters. The other character I grew to understand was Doctor Octavius (Doctor Octopus). He had purpose to what he did even though it was evil. He was a good man and still is without those four arms attached to him. I saw him slowly change in the story and the ending scene between him and Spiderman is very emotional.

Just being human

As I played Marvels Spiderman on PS4 I was shocked to be so entertained playing as Peter Parker. Both him and Spiderman have great story development and it showed in the game how Peter must handle being Spiderman in his life. Being Peter while at work in his science lab, helping aunt May at the shelter, or being awkward in his relationship with MJ felt so realistic and relatable to how he does it all. Each moment Peter was spent being himself, his alter ego would always have a word or two to say through the eyes of Peter Parker. At times the story gets a little slow and pacing takes small hits occasionally, but overall this story connected beautify.88

Summing it all up

From start to finish I was delightfully entertained throughout the story and more. At the end of the main campaign I was satisfied and wanting more at the same time. It was clear that Insomniac Games took this as a passion project and didn’t care too much for the cash grab they knew they could get. The small integrated details, precisive story arcs, and thrilling gameplay all come together for the ultimate Spiderman experience. Even after completing the main story there is still so much to do that will keep me busy for hours on end, not even including the upcoming DLC titled:“New York: The City That Never Sleeps” scheduled to release October 23. I highly recommend picking up this game if you are a fan of Spiderman or wanting something new and interesting to add to your PlayStation library.